Baltimore vs Cincinnati
Ravens Close Out a Win at Home, Beat Defending AFC Champion Bengals on Tucker Kick
After two heartbreaking last-minute losses at home to Miami and Buffalo this year, the Baltimore Ravens were able to respond in Week 5 after Cincinnati did its best to make the home team 0-3 at M&T Bank Stadium this year.
Justin Tucker kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to send the Ravens to a 19-17 win over the defending AFC champion Bengals in front of a nationally televised audience on Sunday Night Football. The game-winning kick came after the Bengals (2-3) took their first lead of the night at 17-16 with 1:58 remaining.
“Our players just fought, they trusted one another and they never gave up on one another. The faith level was at an all-time high,” head coach John Harbaugh said after the game.
“I really didn't have any doubt,” quarterback Lamar Jackson said of Tucker’s game-winning field goal attempt, “because I thank God we've got Tuck [Justin Tucker] on our side."
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The win sent Baltimore (3-2) into first place in a bunched-up AFC North, one game ahead of Cincinnati (2-3) and Cleveland. Pittsburgh is in last place at 1-4.
“Nobody's going to win the division in October, but these games are going to go a long way at the end of the season. So, like our guys were saying, we just have to keep stacking practices, and plays and as many wins as we can, and that's what we're going to be determined to do,” Harbaugh explained.
After trailing for just a total of 14 seconds in Baltimore’s two losses, this game was either tied of saw the Ravens ahead until the Bengals scored on a one-yard keeper by Joe Burrow. Instead of worrying about history repeating itself again, Jackson and the Ravens got to work.
After a couple of passes got Baltimore to midfield with a minute remaining, Jackson ran up the middle out of the shotgun for 19 yards into field goal range. After a couple more keepers by the quarterback, the Ravens sent Tucker out to do what he’s done so many times.
“There’s nobody like Lamar… [running the ball] is what he wants to do; he wants to win. That’s what he cares about, and that’s why the guys respect him so much,” Harbaugh said.
“We work on the [two-minute drill] every day in practice for situations like this. I'd say we prevailed,” Jackson said. “The offense did a great job driving the ball down the field and giving 'Tuck' [Justin Tucker] a chance. We've got the GOAT at kicker, and that's just what it was."
Tucker, who also made a 58-yard kick earlier in the game, remained perfect (17-for-17) on attempts in the final minute of regulation and extended his streak of made field goals in the fourth quarter and in overtime to 61. This kick, in fact, was so straight that it would’ve been good if the uprights were just 18 inches apart.
"What matters in those 1.3 seconds between snap, hold and the kick, are the things that are going to help the kick go through the uprights," Tucker said. "My feelings, my emotions — for 1.3 seconds, they don't really matter, whether I'm feeling very confident or nervous or even outright afraid. That's partly why I always make it a point to say a brief prayer as I'm lining up to kick — not to ask for results, but to ask for peace and to show gratitude just for sort of being able to be in that moment."
GAME RECAP
After forcing a punt, Baltimore got on the board first with a 37-yard field goal from Tucker to make it 3-0 midway through the first quarter.
The second quarter started with the Ravens in good field position after Bengals punter Kevin Huber kicked the ball out of bounds at the 50-yard line. Jackson passed to Devin Duvernay for 21 yards and finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown reception by Mark Andrews to extend the lead to 10-0.
Baltimore drove back into Bengals territory on its next possession, but Jackson committed his only turnover of the day by being picked off by Vonn Bell. On the ensuing drive, Cincinnati drove 83 yards, the final 19 coming from a Burrow touchdown pass to Hayden Hurst to cut Baltimore’s advantage to 10-7. Evan McPherson kicked a 40-yard field goal for Cincy just before halftime to tie the game at 10 at the break.
After failing on 4th and 3 in their opening possession, Patrick Queen got the ball back for the purple and black by intercepting a Burrow pass. That led to Tucker’s field goal from 58 yards out and a 13-10 lead.
The score remained unchanged until 9:46 left in the game, which is when Baltimore had 4th and 1 at the 3-yard line, but Harbaugh elected for the chip-shot field goal to boost the lead to 16-10.
That decision almost proved costly, as Burrow engineered a 14-play drive that ate up 7:44 of game clock, punching it into the end zone with 1:58 left and giving the Bengals their first lead of the night at 17-16.
The Ravens took over at their own 25 and needed just seven plays to move into Tucker’s range, setting him up for the 43-yard game winner to send the sold-out crowd happy.
UP NEXT
The Ravens put their perfect 2-0 road record on the line when they head to MetLife Stadium for the second time this season. After beating the Jets in Week 1, they will take on the 4-1 New York Giants at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Giants are coming off a 27-22 upset victory over Green Bay in London last week.